Another Problem Child is coming from Another World, Right?
by Bads25
Summary: Its been a couple of months and the problem children are finally starting to settle in when Black Rabbit tells them of another letter she sent out. Story is after the Rise of the fire dragon and contains a new OC protaganist and new OC enemies. Will the problem children get along with the new guy? Will there be any romance? Read and find out! Rated T just in case.
1. Another Problem Child Arrives!

**Another Problem Child is coming from Another World, Right?**

**By Bads25**

**Chapter 1**

**A/N: Hey everyone! This story is off of Problem children are coming form another world aren't they? Obvously, I do not own the rights to the anime but if I could I would! Anyway I thought there was a lacking of Problem Children stories other than one shots so I decided id give it a try with an OC. Tell me what you think and if there should be any romance or not! Hope you enjoy!**

"Nothing exciting ever happens around here" Rikimaro said as he walked down the hall to his next class. He didn't know why he still bothered to come to school anymore. All of his classes were too easy and boring. Only gym brought a small smile to his face but it never lasted long. As he continued walking he overheard a group of girls talking about him.

"Hey, it's Rikimaro!" Said one girl

"Don't talk to him! They say he is a perfectionist so he doesn't get along with anyone." Said another girl.

"Why are the good looking guys always bad?" wined another girl.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Rikimaro muttered under his breath. It wasn't his fault that he was gifted with a high intelligence. He just wanted to be average, to get normal grades, and above all, have fun with friends. He could probably get a girlfriend easily with his looks. He had short black hair with a few strands forming an M on his forehead, with bright blue eyes that looked like water. He wasn't athletic, but he looked like he kept his body in shape. As he was thinking this over an announcement came on over the PA system.

"Pardon the interruption," said a female voice, "Rikimaro Rentoya, could you please come to the office? Rikimaro Rentoya to the office. That is all." The announcement ended with a loud click.

"Great, what did I do wrong now?" Rikimaro asked himself as he turned around and started walking towards the office. Today just hadn't been his day. He was living on his own away from his parents and had just been kicked out from his apartment he was renting. His bike had not one, but two flat tires that hadn't been there when he got to his apartment last night. To make it all worse, his parents had sent him a letter a week ago saying they wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

When he got to the office, he walked up to the receptionist who had given the announcement. She looked up and simply handed him a envelope saying that it showed up for him and that he should have his mail delivered to his home, not the school. Rikimaro didn't say anything, took the envelope, and walked out. He was pleasantly surprised that he wasn't yelled at this trip to the office. He slid the envelope into his jacket pocket and started walking towards the roof.

Along the way he bumped into his one friend: Yui Asuse. She was probably his only friend because she grew up with him and learned to put up with him. She had long, red-orange hair that reached down her back and had shimmering green eyes. Lots of guys had asked her out and still did despite her constant refusal. She claimed that she just didn't want a relationship and would rather be friends. Startled, by being bumped she let out a small yelp.

"Rikimaro! Watch where you're going!" she yelled at him

"Yeah yeah. Sorry. Got a bit on my mind." He said, thinking about the letter his parents sent him and the crappy day he had been having.

"Oh. Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, genuinely concerned about her friend.

"Nah, its fine. But if something does come up, I'll let you know." He answered. He thought for a split second about telling her he didn't have any place to go, but decided against it. He had a feeling everything was going to turn out fine.

"Alright then. You know where to find me if you want to talk. See you later!" She said with a smile before running to class.

'I really am lucky to have a friend in her' he thought to himself as he started walking to the roof again. When he got to the door that lead to the roof he pulled a pin out of his pocket as the door was normally locked, but turned the knob to check anyway. To his surprise, the door was unlocked, so he put the pin away and walked up the stairs. When he opened the door to the roof, a gust of wind caused the door to close on his fingers. After complaining about yet another thing going wrong that day, he looked at his hand and saw a small cut on his finger. He sighed and let it be.

The wind was still blowing, causing ripples on his jeans and his orange and white jacket. Even his bag's flaps were being tussled around. He walked around to the other side of the roof so the building would block the wind. He leaned against the wall and started to think about what he was going to do with his life. After lots of bad ideas, he gave up and reached into his pocket for the envelope.

The envelope was completely blank save for a hand written 'To Rikimaro Rentoya' on the front and a irregularly shaped red wax seal on the back. He had no clue what it was or who it could be from.

"Only way to find out is to open It." he mumbled to himself.

When he opened the envelope, there was a letter inside. It read: This letter is for those with many troubles and extraordinary powers. If you wish to see how far that power of yours will take you, cast aside your family, your friends, your possessions, and come to our "Little Garden." As soon as he read the last word the letter started to glow a bright blue and everything turned white. Rikimaro then experienced his most hated feeling of his whole life.

Freefall


	2. The Problem Child meets the others!

**Chapter 2**

**A/N: Hello everyone! I know that you all probably weren't expecting another chapter so soon. Well too bad because i have way to much time on my hands right now so ill probably get around three more chapters in by next week Wednesday. Anyway, I dont own the anime other than the OC characters. Please leave reviews so that i can improve as i really like this story and want you all to like it also!**

"WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME?" Rikimaro shouted as he plummeted from the sky. As he was falling he noticed a large, circular wall that seemed to stretch on forever. Inside the wall was lots of half circle dome shapes. He wondered what they were, but he was far more focused on the fact he was falling straight for some trees.

All of a sudden there was a large explosion below him. The force of the blast pushed him further away from the wall and domes but towards a small lake. He steered himself more towards the lake the best he could but was still panicking about the fall. As the water started getting closer and closer, he reflexively curled up into a ball. Seconds later he slammed into the lake, sending a geyser of water 20 feet into the air.

The force of the impact had left him breathless. He had reached the bottom of the lake and quickly started to swim up to the surface, desperate for air. His throat started to hurt and he felt light headed. The lack of air was going to make him pass out if he didn't reach the surface soon. His vision was starting to fade the closer he got to the surface. 'So close, I can make it' he thought to himself. With a final kick of his legs he burst from the water, gasping for air. Treading water, he caught his breath and took a quick look around. The lake he was in was surrounded by trees and dense foliage. Thankfully the tree line was far enough back for him to be able to lay down and dry off, so he started to swim to shore. As he climbed out of the water, his bag got really heavy so he dumped the water out of it.

"Where the heck am i?" Rikimaro asked himself as he took off his jacket and hung it on a tree branch to dry off. He was about to take off his shirt when he felt a shiver go down his spine. He jumped left just as a rock came flying by his face. The rock shot into the forest before colliding with a tree and causing a large explosion.  
"So you have good reflexes and a sense of danger. Good." Said a male voice from somewhere Rikimaro couldn't find. "Hopefully you can make things more fun around here."

"Who are you?" asked Rikimaro, who was franticly searching around him for whoever was talking. "What's going on here?"

"Izayoi what are you doing!" shouted a female voice. "You said you were going to get him! Not pick a fight with him!"

"Alright, alright, ill go get him" said the male voice again, "your such a kill joy Asuk-OW! What was that for!"

"That was for picking a fight with him." Said another female voice, this one much calmer.

Meanwhile, Rikimaro was wondering just what he had gotten himself into and, more importantly, how he got into this. As he stood there thoroughly confused, three figures came out of the tree line not far from him. The first one was a male. He had blond hair that was spiking in all directions with headphones covering his ears and violet eyes. He was dressed in a grey-blue jacket with matching pants and a yellow shirt under his jacket. Rikimaro guessed this was Izayoi as that's what he heard one of the girls yell at him.

The second person he noticed was a girl with long, braided brown hair that reached past her waist with blue eyes and a red dress matching heels. She looked like she was pissed off at Izayoi so she must be that Asuk-something that the Izayoi had started to say. She also looked like she came from a rich background based on the dress and, if he was right about her being who he thought she was, her voice sounded more 'refined.'

The last one Rikimaro noticed was a girl with light-brown hair and eyes. She had on a white shirt with red shorts, long black socks, brown boots up to her knees, and a white with blue trim jacked that reached her knees as well. She was holding onto a calico colored cat. He had no idea what her name would be but she seemed calm so he put the third voice with her.

"Does everything end up having to be a fight with you Izayoi?" asked Asuk-something. The male, Rikimaro now knew for sure was Izayoi, just gave a sly grin.

"Um, I'm glad you're all buddy-buddy, but I'm having a bad day so can you please help me out?" Rikimaro interrupted their conversation, trying to get some answers. However, his words didn't seem to reach them as Asuk-something continued to bicker at Izayoi. Rikimaro just sighed and walked over to a nearby rock and sat down. He was looking around at the scenery when he felt the rock he was sitting on shift slightly. He looked to his right to see the third girl sitting next to him, giving him a warm, kind smile.

"My name is Kasukabe You." She said while still smiling and extending her had to him. "What's yours?"

"Rentoya Rikimaro." He said while returning her smile and shaking her hand. "Who's this?" He asked pointing to the cat that was sitting in her lap. He reached his hand over and scratched the cat's head, making it purr.

"This is Calico Cat." She stated and moved her other hand which had been stroking the cats back. The cat then stood up and hopped up to Rikimaro's shoulders only to decide to settle with half his body on Rikimaro's head. You laughed a little at the cats antics and meowed in response. By then Izayoi and Asuk-something had finished arguing and had walked over.

"Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you." Said Asuk-something with a small bow. "My name is Kudou Asuka." She smiled and extended her hand like You had.

"Rentoya Rikimaro." He replied while still smiling and shook her hand.

"This uncivilized and savage man is…" Asuka started to say until Rikimaro cut her off.

"Let me guess. Izayoi?" He asked while looking at the male. He had gone from a bored expression to one of surprise and smiled before he responded. Asuka and You both were surprised when Rikimaro had guessed the name correctly.

"Yup. Sakamaki Izayoi. I'm – just as my appearance suggests – uncivilized and savage. I'm also vulgar, brutal, and hedonistic; so please follow all the guidelines when interacting with me." He said with a smile that sent chills up the girl's spines. Rikimaro just extended his hand to Izayoi with a laugh. Izayoi chuckled as well and shook his hand. Now that he had everyone's attention, Rikimaro asked the question that had been on his mind the whole time since coming to this place.

"Where the hell am I and how did I get here?" Rikimaro asked still smiling. The other three looked at each other with smiles.

"That question has a long answer." Asuka said. "So for now let's just start with the basics."

**A/N: So guys, i need to think up a power for Rikimaro. If you can PM me or leave a review with ideas then that would be great. Also in the summary i said this might involve some romance, so tell me what parring you think should happen. Im looking forward to what you guys have to say!**


	3. Another Problem Child Learns the Ropes!

**A/N: WHATS UP GUYS! Sorry about taking so long to get this chapter up. Things have been hectic lately, but I think I'll be posting once a month untill things settle down.****I know that these have been a bit short lately so posting once a month****will let me beef up the story more (this one won't be as long as others due to 'things'). Also, if you have any ideas or opinions on powers for any of the enemies the gang will face or relationships between characters please leave a review or PM me. I'll keep a running score of what everyone thinks and go with the most popular one!**

**Chapter 3**

Everyone was walking towards the wall that Rikimaro had seen when he was falling. Before anyone had started telling him where he was or how he got there, Rikimaro had started to shiver from the cold water still in his clothes. Everyone agreed that his clothes needed to dry so they started walking and explained things a little bit.

"Do you remember what you were doing before you came here?" asked Asuka suddenly.

"Y-Yeah. I was up on my school's roof reading a strange letter. Next thing I know there's a bright blue light and then I'm falling. Why do you ask?" Rikimaro stuttered in response to Asuka's sudden question. Asuka and You smiled a little while Izayoi just kept walking with a bored expression on his face.

"The three of us arrived the same way." Said You in her monotone voice. "We gave up everything to come here."

"You gave up everything? And where is here?" Rikimaro asked. He was starting to feel dizzy as a thousand other questions went through his head.

"Oi, calm down." Izayoi said, almost sensing Rikimaro's confusion. "We'll answer your personal questions at another time. As for what you need to know now, you're in a world called Little Garden where most things are decided in games called [Gift Games], you were brought here because you have a [Gift], and we are taking you to our community."

"So I was brought here to compete in these games? What if I don't want to?" Rikimaro asked while still trying to comprehend all of this new information he was receiving.

"Well, you can always head back to your world, but don't you want to at least participate in one [Gift Game] before deciding?" asked Asuka.

"Yeah, I guess I should. It defiantly sounds interesting. But what are these gif-" Rikimaro started to ask before something landed right in front of all of them, causing dust to fly up and obscure what had just landed. After a few seconds of trying to get dust out of his eyes, Rikimaro heard a voice he didn't recognize.

"So, you problem children think you can get away with tying up Black Rabbit?" asked the voice as the dust started to settle. Rikimaro could see that the thing that landed in front of them was a person and, judging by the voice, it was a girl. It wasn't until the dust ad completely settled that Rikimaro could make out what the girl looked like.

She was a bit taller than the others that Rikimaro had met. She had a black/navy blue, red and white ruffled outfit with a black collar that had white ruffles, a mini skirt with garters, red heels with more whit ruffles, and black wristband/cuffs on her wrists. She also had red eyes and long light blue hair, but the feature that stood out the most to Rikimaro was the rabbit ears on her head. He would have thought she looked cute if it wasn't for the look of pure anger on her face.

"Oh, so you managed to get out Black Rabbit? That was sooner than expected." Izayoi said with a smirk on his face. Asuka and You stood behind him with smiles on their faces, but they also looked nervous. That would have made Rikimaro nervous too if he wasn't so enamored by the girl's, who he assumed was Black Rabbit, rabbit ears.

"Master Jin found me and let me go." Black Rabbit said with a menacing calmness and her hair turned pink. Rikimaro was too focused on the rabbit ears to notice. "You problem children are always picking on Black Rabbit, but once we get back, Black Rabbit is going to give you the scolding of your lif-EEEEEEEEEEEE" She screamed. Rikimaro had walked around her and had started pulling on her ears.

"Wow, are these real? Their so soft!" he said as he continued to pull on them, making Black Rabbit's hair turn back to a light blue color as her cries of pain left her mouth. Izayoi, Asuka, and You all just watched with smirks on their faces as Rikimaro continued to play with the rabbit's ears. "So if the ears are real, does that mean the tail is real too?" he asked as he reached for it with one hand.

"PLEASE DON'T PULL ON BLACK RABBIT'S TAIL!" Black Rabbit begged. "THEIR MORE SENSITIVE THAN BLACK RABBIT'S EARS!"

"Oh, I'm hurting you? I'm sorry, I didn't notice." Rikimaro said with sincerity. As he let go of the rabbit's ears, she dropped to the ground and let out a sigh of relief.

"Why does everyone pick on Black Rabbit? Even the new person does it!" wined Black Rabbit.

"Hey, I really am sorry." Rikimaro said to Black Rabbit as he offered his hand to help her up. "I promise I won't do it again. Ok?" He said with a smile. Black Rabbit looked at him for a second before a smile crept up on her face and she accepted his hand.

"Ok. Black Rabbit appreciates that." She said as she stood up. "But that doesn't excuse you three for what you did!" she said to the other three as she pulled out a paper fan and hit the three of them on the head. They all stood there and took it with blank faces. "Tying up Black Rabbit after she tells you that there's another problem child coming is rude!" She continued.

"Well how about we settle this with a game then?" Izayoi suggested to Black Rabbit. Another of what Rikimaro was recognizing as his signature smirks spread across Izayoi's face. Black Rabbit looked worried, but calmed herself down and gave a confident smile back to him.

"If you think Black Rabbit will go easy on you, then you are sorely mistaken!" She said.

"Wouldn't be fun if you didn't." replied Izayoi. "If you win, the three of us will stop picking on you." He said calmly as Asuka and You looked at him in disbelief.

"You better win this Izayoi! If you don't we will never let you live this down!" Asuka said, clearly riled up by Izayoi's inclusion of her and You without their consolation. You was just glaring at Izayoi.

"Pretty high stakes there Izayoi," Black Rabbit said, "So Black Rabbit will offer this: if you win you all get to choose one thing for me to do. That includes you." She points to Rikimaro.

"Deal." Izayoi said before anyone could object to the terms. What looked like two scrolls to Rikimaro appeared before Izayoi and Black Rabbit. He kept staring at them when Black Rabbit turned and noticed him staring at the scrolls.

"Oh, Right. You don't know what this all is do you?" She asked him. Rikimaro simply shook his head in confusion. Black Rabbit turned her head back towards the others before asking "When were you three going to tell him about [Gift Games]?"

"We were before you came crashing in" Izayoi said bluntly causing Black Rabbit's ears to droop a bit as she felt guilty for interrupting their explanation.

"Black Rabbit is sorry,' she started to say "Black Rabbit will… WAIT I WAS SUPOSE TO DO THAT BUT YOU TIED ME UP!"

"I'll explain it to him." Said You as she walked over to Rikimaro. Asuka also walked over, eager to get out of the way of the two about to fight. As You started to explain what was happening Izayoi and Black Rabbit decided on what the game would be. They decided to go with a game of tag, but they would both be it. The first one to touch the other would be the winner.

"Just like during the festival a month ago, eh Black Rabbit?" asked Izayoi. "Good. I've been upset that we tied that time. Now's my chance to change that."

"Don't think it will be that easy Izayoi." Black Rabbit said as her hair changed colors from light blue to pink. Rikimaro noticed the change and was confused until Asuka commented that Black Rabbit's hair changes when she gets serious.

"Only when she gets serious?" Rikimaro asked.

"Well, it changes at other times like when she is relaxed, but it's a much lighter shade of pink. This pink is when she is either angry or serious." She replied, seemingly indifferent of which it would be at the time. A drop of sweat came down Rikimaro's forehead as he realized just how much trouble he could have been in.

Suddenly there was a large gust of air as Izayoi and Black Rabbit took off. Rikimaro was stunned at both of their speed for the short time he could see them before they disappeared into the forest. Asuka and You simply turned and started walking the direction we had been before Black Rabbit had showed up.

"Coming Rikimaro?" You asked while looking over her shoulder. Rikimaro snapped out of the daze he was in and ran to catch up with the two girls.

"So what exactly was all of that about?" He asked the girls.

"That was the start of a [Gift Game]." You said.

"Right, Izayoi mentioned those earlier. What are they exactly? And what was with that scroll?" He continued asking.

"The scroll is called a [Geas Roll]. It defines the rules and prizes for the game and explains the game in detail. The games themselves range from being trivial things like picking a certain card in a deck, all the way to death battles." She explained. Asuka kept walking, but was surprised at how much her friend was talking.

"Then again," Asuka thought to herself, "she did say she would explain things to him."

"Ok, so what do you win from these games?" Rikimaro asked, ignoring the fear of possibly being put into a death battle.

"I'll take this one." Asuka said as You simple nodded with a smile. "Before a game begins, both parties have to agree to what they think of as equal prizes. There are lots of different things you can offer as prizes, such as; territory, money, people, and your own gifts. The more you bet, the better your winnings are."

"Wait, you can bet people?" Rikimaro asked in shock. "As in slavery?!"

"While it is possible, many communities don't act that way." Asuka replied. "They typically treat the person as a member of their own community, but there are communities that treat it as slavery in a way."

"But what's important to remember is that you can, almost always, refuse to play a game." You added in, muttering the 'almost always' part.

Rikimaro didn't seem to noticed, however, as he continued with his questions. "Alright, so what are these communities you keep talking about?" He asked.

"They are groups of individuals that get together to play games against others." Asuka answered. "They're a lot like teams I guess. Each community has a name and a flag to represent themselves."

"So what community are you two from?" He asked. Both the girls smiled at the question.

"Were from the [No Names]." You said with a small hint of pride.

"That's right." Asuka said, continuing off of You. " Izayoi, Black Rabbit, You, and I all are members of the [No Names]."

"Why are you called that?" Rikimaro asked, as even more questions arose in his head.

"For that, you can ask our leader, Jin Russell. There he is actually." Said You, pointing in front of Rikimaro. He turned his head to see they had reached the wall they had been walking towards. There was a large entry way through the wall and standing in front of it was a small boy with green hair.

The boy looked quite young. "Probably because he is short" Rikimaro thought to himself with a small laugh. As they got closer, he noticed more features of the boy.

He has teal-ish green hair and his bangs drop from the outer sides, leaving some space in his middle forehead, with a little piece of hair up top. He has blue eyes and wears a very long robe which is a sandy color. While wearing it, you barely see his hands. It fits him perfectly in size, covering most of his shoes. The inside of the hood on his cloak appeared to be red.

"All in all, he looks like a kid." Rikimaro thought. "But a kid can't be their leader here...right?"

Rikimaro had never been so wrong.


	4. The Problem Child Meets His Community!

**Chapter 4**

**Hello everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the story so far! If you aren't, then let me know! So far, no one has made any comments on what enemies/powers/relationships COULD be. I want this to be well liked so your input is important.**

**Anyway, as a little teaser, we will get a hint at Rikimaro's power! About time, I know, but I think it will be worth the wait! Now let's read on!**

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"HES THE LEADER OF THE COMUNITY?!" Rikimaro shouted. He was standing in the shadow of the gate to little garden with Asuka, You, and Jin and were waiting for Izayoi and Black Rabbit to finish their game and come back. In the meantime, Rikimaro needed to get his head around the idea of a kid leading a whole community.

"I-It's not that strange..." Jin said with a stammer. "There are plenty of community's that have young leaders."

"How many?" Rikimaro asked. He had his arms folded and was giving Jin a dead stare. Nervous from the stare, a large bead of sweat appeared on the back of his head.

"Well, I know of one community, but little garden has the surface area of a star so I can't know every community's leader..."

"Why are you so focused on that?" Asuka questioned, giving the same look to Rikimaro as he had given to Jin. He made a note to not piss her off any time soon.

"The idea of a kid leading a whole community is unsettling to me. Even if the community is called [No Names]." Rikimaro responded. Jin and the girls got noticeably depressed about that, but Jin far more than the girls. "Speaking of which, the girls told me to ask you about that. Why are you guys called the [No Names]?"

"It's a bit of a story. I'll give you the full details later, but essentially we lost a battle we were forced into and had to bed our flag and name." Jin said.

"But i thought both parties had to agree to a game?" Rikimaro asked. He really needed to find a rule book or something. This was all so confusing.

"There are exceptions to the rule. If a community has a series of games set up to allow another community the right to challenge them, then they couldn't refuse. Another possibility is a demon lord." You pitched in.

"A demon lord?"

"Yes. Little garden is home to many types of beings. Demon lords are powerful beings that have unique abilities. The main one people fear is their ability to force others into a game." Jin said. He had a knowledgeable look on his face which surprised Rikimaro. He thought the kid was just that, a kid.

"So you guys were challenged by a demon lord and lost." Rikimaro said. "I take it this was before you two showed up?" He asked the girls.

"Yes. Both us and Izayoi were summoned here to help the [No Names]. We arrived the same way you did." Asuka replied. Her face grimaced the reminder of the unceremonious entrance.

"Ahh, with a splash then. Speaking of water, my clothes are still wet, so can we-" Rikimaro started to say until he heard a loud crack. Everyone turned and looked at the forest only to see a large tree flying towards them. The girls grabbed Jin and started to run through the gate. Asuka looked behind her to see Rikimaro just standing there.

"RIKIMARO! MOVE!" She shouted as her eyes glowed. To her surprise, Rikimaro didn't move. She started to turn around to grab him but he suddenly wasn't there. A second later, the tree collided with the entrance, sending a gust of wind and leafs down the corridor.

"Rikimaro!" Asuka yelled, searching for a sign of the boy who disappeared.

"Ow. Jeez you don't have to yell." Rikimaro said calmly as he emerged from the shadows behind Jin and You.

"What!" The three of them yelled in surprise.

"Oi, I said don't yell. Hurts my ears being in this corridor with a couple of people yelling throwing echo's everywhere." He chastised the three of them. They were all stunned speechless at how he had gotten ahead of them. "Hello? Anyone home?" He asked, waving his arm in front of Jin's face in an attempt to get him to snap out of it.

"H-How did you do that?" Jin stammered. His eyes, along with the girls, were still wide with shock.

"Beats me. I just remember Asuka telling me to move and next thing I know everything is dark then I'm ahead of you all." He said, just as confused as the others.

"What's your [gift]?" You asked, returning to her calm, nonchalant self.

Rikimaro looked at the three seriously for a minute before smiling and asking, "What's a [gift]?" The three of them collapsed to the ground in disappointment.

"A [gift] is your ability!" A voice said from the entrance where the tree had landed. Everyone turned to look and saw Izayoi walking down the corridor with Black Rabbit in his arms. Black Rabbit looked like she was crying.

"My ability?" Rikimaro asked, completely uncaring about the now missing tree and the crying girl in the mans arms.

"Oi, I thought you guys were explaining things to him!" Izayoi said as he let Black Rabbit down. She stood nearby, still crying.

"I take it you won?" Asuka asked Izayoi, her voice had a sharp tone to it.

"Is that doubt i hear? Of course I won." He stated simply. "Anyway your ability is what makes you stand out. Its why you were brought here."

"Didn't you ever feel out of place in your world?" Asuka asked.

"Kinda. I didn't really hang out with anyone other than my childhood friend. But other than that I had a pretty normal life. No abnormal abilities or anything." Rikimaro replied. "Can you give me a better definition of what a [Gift] is?" Black Rabbit suddenly stopped crying and was right in front of Rikimaro.

"[Gifts] are just what they sound like! Powers or abilities bestowed onto people by gods or won through games. Some gifts are inborn powers that can be activated from specific movements. Others can be items that are summoned when the user needs them. There are also [Gifts] that are trinkets that bestow the wearer abilities." Black Rabbit said. She seemed to have forgotten why she was crying and seemed to be happy that she was helping.

"So would anything in here be a [Gift]?" Rikimaro asked, hoisting up his bag. Everyone let out a small gasp when he showed it. "Oh come on. You all saw me walking with it! How is this the first time you're noticing it?"

"We figured it was empty or everything inside was ruined from the water." You said calmly.

"We left behind everything when we came here besides the clothes we were wearing. How did you bring a bag?" Asuka added.

"I had my bag on my back when i opened the letter that brought me here." Rikimaro said simply. "Why, is it against the rules or something?"

"Normally, yes." Black Rabbit said with a sigh. "But since you were wearing it it's allowed."

Rikimaro just shrugged. He still didn't know the rules so he really didn't care. But looking at Izayoi, You, and Asuka's faces, they looked like they would kill for something from home. Wanting to get off this topic, he pointed out his clothes were still wet, and he was hoping he could change.

"Oh, right! This way!" Jin said as he began to lead everyone through the tunnel. Apparently everyone had forgotten about Rikimaro's unknown [Gift] for now.

They walked through the corridor and emerged into a city. Rikimaro asked about the domes he had seen when he was falling, and was told they were created so light sensitive beings could live in little garden.

"Beings like vampires?" Rikimaro asked as they passed what looked like a café. Calico Cat meowed at the waitress working and she laughed.

"Yes. Like Jin said earlier, many beings live here." You said with a smile. "My goal here is to make new friends here. With so many different types of people, I'm sure I'll find plenty."

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to be your friend." Rikimaro said with a kind smile. You looked away for a minute and blushed then nodded her head. Rikimaro was completely oblivious to her blush and continued talking. "So what's everyone's gifts? Since I don't know mine i figure i should learn as much as i can about them."

"Mine in [Genome Tree]" You said as she quickly got her unwanted blush under control. "It lets me have animal characteristics and traits from the animals I befriend. It actually comes from this wood carving my dad gave to me." she said as she pointed at the wooden medallion.

"Oh, so that's what you mean by wanting friends." Rikimaro said teasingly. He hadn't ignored the last part, just wanted to teas her.

"N-No! That's not w-what I meant at all!" She said, reacting just the way Rikimaro wanted her to. He put his hand on her head and ruffles her hair with a smile.

"Relax. I was just teasing you a bit." He said with a laugh. Rikimaro then turned to Asuka and missed another blush on You's face. "What's your gift Asuka?"

"My gift is [Oraculum]." She said proudly. "It allows me to control others with my words. Unfortunately it only works on people weaker than me. I also have a gift called [Dean]. He is a giant red machine that I control using [Oraculum]."

"Oh, so it's possible to have more than one [Gift]?" Rikimaro asked.

"Yes! Black Rabbit has several!" Black Rabbit exclaimed proudly. Asuka, You, and Izayoi simply kept talking and ignored her. She was about to be depressed again when Rikimaro put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok Black Rabbit. I was listening." He said, giving her a warm smile. Black Rabbit looked at him with a big smile as tears of joy ran down her face.

"Finally! Someone other than Master Jin is giving Black Rabbit the attention and respect she deserves! Thank yo..." She stopped as Rikimaro reached out and whipped away her tears of joy.

"I know their tears of joy, but a pretty girl shouldn't cry." He said. Black Rabbit started to blush and looked away. Rikimaro blinked a couple times in confusion. "So anyway what gifts do you have?" He asked her.

"Black Rabbit has several! The most notable is the [Replica Vajra]!" She said as the blush vanished from her face. "With it, Black Rabbit can shoot lightning that runs from its tips to the targeted opponent! Black Rabbit also has the gifts [Spear of Indra], [Sun Armor], and [Moon Shrine]. If you want, you can ask Black Rabbit about them later. Black Rabbit also has the ability of Judge Master!"

"Wow. I take it you're the powerhouse of the group then?" Rikimaro asked.

"Wrong!" Izayoi said loudly. Rikimaro looked at him with a confused expression on his face. "Whatever my gift is, its the strongest." He said vaguely.

"What do you mean 'whatever it is'? Don't you know what your gift is?" Rikimaro asked.

"Well you don't know yours." Asuka chimed in with a chuckle.

"Oh hush princess." Rikimaro shot back with a smug grin. Asuka's face got flustered and she stayed silent. "So what do you mean Izayoi?"

"See for yourself." He said as he pulled out a blue card. On it was the word "UNKNOWN".

"What is that?" He asked.

"It's a [Fragment of Laplace]." Jin said. "It's a high-valued card that lets the user store the physical manifestations of the gifts they have."

"Apparently they come in all sorts of colors." You chimed in as she and Asuka pulled out their cards.

"Huh. Where can I get one? It would be great to know what my gift is."

"Well show you tomorrow. For now lets just get you introduced to the rest of the community." Jin said as he started leading the group back to their home.

"What happened here?" Rikimaro asked. He was standing in front of a rather large mansion with craters in the ground around it. If the craters weren't there, the place would have looked nice.

"A few of the craters are left over from when the Demon Lord attacked out community. However," Black Rabbit glared at Izayoi, "most of these are from Izayoi refusing to train in the training room."

"It's too damp down there." He said without a care. Suddenly the doors opened and a large group of kids came running out. Rikimaro looked shocked to see that many kids all running towards him. To his great relief, they stopped a short distance away from the group and smiled.

"Everyone!" Jin said with a loud enough voice for everyone to hear. "This is our newest member, Rikimaro Rentoya. Please treat him like you would any other member of the community."

In unison, all the kids yelled hello and started to greet him individually. After greeting the small mob, Rikimaro looked up and saw that everyone had gone inside besides three people. One of them was a young looking girl with fox ears and two tails. She had blond hair with brown tips on her ears and tails. She had emerald green eyes and a kind smile on her face.

The other two girls were in maid outfits. One had pale skin and red eyes with long, blond hair that had a ribbon in it tied like a bow. She seemed to have a complete calmness about her and, despite her small size, felt like she was older than she looked.

The other girl in a maids outfit had short, red hair with twin black ribbons on the side of her head. She had crimson eyes and was as tall as the other maid. Despite her smile, Rikimaro thought it would be best to not make her angry, as she had what felt like an aura of death around her.

Confused by the sight of the three girls, Rikimaro blinked repeatedly until the small fox girl stepped forward.

"It's nice to meet you Rikimaro." She said and her smile grew. "My name is Lily. I'm the leader of the senior and junior groups of children you just met."

"Nice to meet you." Rikimaro replied, returning her kind smile. "I hope we get along and have fun."

"Me too! These are my friends, Leticia and Percher." She said, pointing to the blond and red haired girls respectively.

"Greetings master." Leticia said with a respectful bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Percher said and bowed with Leticia.

"Ummm, hello. Nice to meet you too." Rikimaro said. He wasn't use to people treating him so formally. "Like I said to Lily, I hope we get along and have fun."

"Depends on your version of fun." Percher said with a mischievous smile. Rikimaro returned the smile and extended his fist for a fist bump.

"I think we're going to get along fine Percher." He said as Percher's first hit his.

"Call me Pest." she said simply. Rikimaro shrugged and went with it.

"If you'll follow me, we shall escort you to your room." Leticia said. Rikimaro looked up and saw the sun setting. He then nodded to Leticia and she walked into the mansion.

As they walked, Pest latched herself to him. This got surprised glances from both Lily and Leticia, especially since Rikimaro had no clue what Pest represented.

Rikimaro really didn't care at this point. As far as he was concerned, she could have been god and Satan's child.

He just wanted to get out of his still wet clothes and go to bed.


	5. The Problem Child discovers his Gift!

**Chapter 5**

**What's up guys and gals! I have a special treat for you all today! A SUPER LONG CHAPTER! That's right! This chapter will be around 6-8 THOUSAND WORDS! My longest chapter so far was around 2.5 thousand, so I hope you enjoy this! Also… PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT PARRINGS YOU GUYS WANT! I've asked twice now for what you guys think I should have, and no one has said anything. I have no problem doing my own thing, but I want you guys to share your input too! Now, let's find out what type of trouble Rikimaro and the gang get into this time!**

Rikimaro awoke with yelp. He had been tossing and turning in his bed back home, and it seems like the problem had followed him here as he was on the floor. He got up and checked his phone to see the time, and promptly groaned. It was only 5:21AM. Last night before bed, he and asked Leticia what the time was here so he could adjust the time on his phone properly. She gave him the time, but started questioning him on what a phone was. After a long chat about what a phone was, he wished her and the two other girls, Lily and Percher, a good night and changed into the sleeping clothes they provided him. They had taken his clothes to be washed and dried, and had said they would be ready for him by morning.

He was really grateful to everyone. He was a complete stranger, yet they all treated him kindly, like family almost. It was the complete opposite of what it was like back home, if you could call that place a home. His family had all but disowned him, he actually had no place to live since he was evicted, and only had one friend. The last thought brought up images of her.

Yui Asuse. The only one back where he came from who actually cared for him. She had been through thick and thin with him, and he had always been grateful to her for that. Rikimaro laid back down and stared at the ceiling. He missed Yui. She had always been the happy type, giving a warm smile to anyone who needed it. What's more, is he knew she would almost kill to be in this world with him.

Yui had always enjoyed fantasy themed things. Obsessed over it even. She had read books, watched movies, and even dragged him to a damn fantasy cosplay coffee house once! Rikimaro frowned a bit. He hadn't had a chance to tell her where he had gone, and was sure she was panicking about his disappearance.

Tossing those thoughts aside, he tried to get back to sleep. After tossing and turning for another hour, he gave up. Rolling out of bed, he noticed his clothes from the day before sitting on a chair in his room. He gave a small smile and changed into his clothes, choosing not to zip up his jacket and revealing a plain grey shirt. Apparently his shoes were still being dried out, so he kept his socks where they were and chose to walk barefoot.

He left his room, noticing that he already had a name plate on the door to indicate it was his, and started to wander around the mansion. His room was apparently close to Jin and Izayoi's rooms, so he kept quiet as he walked. Despite it being 6:21, it was pitch black inside the hallway, as there were no windows and the lights were off. Rikimaro didn't really mind, he never had the lights on at his old place anyway and was used to seeing in the dark. Even when he lived with his family he enjoyed the dark. A lot of people found that weird and considered him an emo kid, but the way he dressed and acted never matched that description.

He just wanted to have fun, be treated like a normal person. He just felt like he shouldn't have to change who he was in order to be thought of that way. Suddenly he realized that, despite him walking, he couldn't hear any footsteps. He kept walking, trying to hear his own footsteps, but to no avail. It was dark and despite his amazing night vision he acquired over the years, he couldn't see If the ground was carpet or not. It felt soft to his feet, so he shrugged off the confusion and simply thought that it was just thick carpet canceling out the noise.

Eventually, he came upon a room that had light spilling out of the crack at the bottom. Curious, he waked up to the door and put his ear to it, trying to hear anything on the other side. There where what sounded like footsteps and occasional knocking sounds. Cautiously, Rikimaro opened the door. As he slowly peeked his head in, he saw it was Leticia and Percher. He opened the door fully and knocked on it to get their attention. They turned, startled that someone had snuck up on them. They both were still wearing their maid uniforms, but had cooking aprons on as well. Finally realizing it was Rikimaro, the two girls calmed down.

"What are you doing, sneaking around like that?" Leticia asked, her face slowly recovering from being startled.

"Couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd walk around. Sorry for scaring you both." Rikimaro replied while scratching the back of his head. "What are you two girls doing up?"

"Preparing breakfast." Percher said. She hadn't been as shocked as Leticia was, but was still startled by him none the less.

"Need any help?" Rikimaro asked innocently. The girls looked at him in surprise.

"You know how to cook?" they asked at the same time

"Yeah. Back where I came from I lived on my own. Going out to eat was expensive so I learned to make my own meals. Apparently I got good at it because my only friend always begged me to make her a lunch for school and often came over for dinner." He said with a smile. Percher looked a little bit upset at hearing that he had a girl asking him to make her lunch, but shook it off before anyone noticed.

"Regardless if you can cook master, we are the maids and should take care of it." Leticia said, trying to make it sound kinder that it seemed. Rikimaro was slightly confused at being called master, but refused to back down.

"Come on, it will be fine. I feel useless since I don't know my power yet so let me help with this for now." He said. After a couple minutes of arguing, Leticia finally agreed. Percher had been willing right away, happy to get out of doing some work and to see Rikimaro's skills.

He quickly donned an apron and got to work, pulling out ingredients for omelets, pancakes, and waffles. Working on all three dishes at once, the girls simply stared as he measured out the ingredients perfectly, while hardly looking at them. Finally, he had one dish of each, ready to be taste tested by Leticia and Percher.

"Dig in girls!" He said with a smile on his face. Percher was all but drooling over the smell, and Leticia was pretty close to drooling herself as well. They quickly grabbed a bite of each of the dishes, Percher starting with the omelet, and Leticia starting with the waffles.

"THIS IS DELICIOUS!" Percher said with stars in her eyes.

"HOW CAN YOU MAKE THIS TASTE SO GOOD?" Leticia cried out, savoring the flavor of the waffles.

"Keep it down you two! Don't wake everyone up!" Rikimaro said to the two of them. They quieted down but quickly moved on to the next dish until they had sampled all three. They then split the remains of the dishes and ate till it was gone.

"That was amazing!" Percher said with a big grin on her face.

"Indeed, that was delicious!" Leticia agreed with Percher.

"Well I'm glad you both liked it. Now I'm sure that everyone else has to have some!" Rikimaro said as he walked back over to the ingredients and started to make more.

"Wait, do you really mean everyone? Or just the other problem children?" Leticia asked.

"Everyone." He replied simply, already focusing on the task at hand.

"But it's already 7:10," Percher said, "There's no way you can make it all in time before everyone wakes up."

"That sounds like defeat to me, Pest." Rikimaro said, using the nickname Percher told him to use last night. She blushed slightly at the sound of him saying it. "I issued the change to myself, so I will work until I meet the requirements." He looked at the two of them and said "And then I'm going to keep going!"

The girls tried to help him, so he had them leave and set up the largest table they could. He wanted this to be a morning feast and give everyone a treat for the hospitality they all showed him. Thankfully, everyone ended up sleeping in longer than normal that day, so Rikimaro was able to finish everything including side dishes of scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon along with toppings for the waffles and pancakes. When everything was ready to be set up, Black rabbit walked in.

"What is that wonderful smell?" she asked, not noticing Rikimaro coming out from the kitchen behind her.

"Its breakfast!" he said, startling Black Rabbit.

"UUAAAAA! DON'T STARTLE BLACK RABBIT LIKE THAT!" She yelled as Rikimaro laughed.

"I'm sorry," He said between laughs, "I didn't mean to scare you." Black Rabbit accepted his apology and offered to help set up the table if he wanted her to. "Actually, if you could go wake everyone up, we can all start eating. I just need to put the food on the table and that will be done by the time your back."

"Alright. Black Rabbit will get everyone here." She said as she started to walk out the door.

"Oh, and I mean everyone. Including the kids I met last night!" he said calmly.

"WAAAA! YOU MADE FOOD FOR EVERYONE?" Black Rabbit yelled. Percher and Leticia walked in from the kitchen carrying trays of food.

"I didn't think he could do it, but he did." Leticia said to Black Rabbit. Black Rabbit was at a loss for words and simply walked out to gather everyone. Slowly, kids started to come into the dining room and take up seats, drooling over the smell of the food. Finally after close to five minutes of waiting, Izayoi, You, Asuka, Jin, and Black Rabbit came in and were stunned silent by the vast array of food before them.

Izayoi, You, and Asuka were nearly in tears at the familiar sight and smell of the food and quickly claimed spots for themselves. Black Rabbit was still stuck, standing where she was when she walked in. Jin had been dragged by Izayoi to a seat in order to partake in the breakfast feast before them.

"HOW DID YOU MAKE ALL OF THIS?" Black rabbit shouted, her mind unable to get around the idea of this much food being made.

"Well when I was back in my world, I lived on my own. Eating out was extremely expensive, so I learned how to cook my own meals." Rikimaro said simply, taking a seat and grabbing some food. Everyone else had been digging in and the first children there were starting to get full. Normally everyone would have waited, but Rikimaro didn't want it to get cold before anyone ate anything, so he told everyone to dig in. Black Rabbit was still standing at the door, unable to move until Rikimaro stood back up and plopped her in a seat and put food in front of her.

"Quit your stammering and eat. Don't let my hard work go to waste." Rikimaro said with a smile. Black Rabbit finally broke out of her trance, was overcome by the delicious smells, and started to eat. Everyone deeply enjoyed the food, and with plenty of it, they all got seconds, some even grabbed thirds. Izayoi, You, And Asuka were scarfing down large amounts of food, much to the shock of everyone. They weren't really surprised by Izayoi's eating habits, which Rikimaro figured were messy at the best of times, but everyone was surprised at Asuka and You eating just as greedily as Izayoi.

Eventually, everyone ate their fill. Rikimaro was surprised when the kids all took care of their own plates and washed them, but was glad that it was one less thing he was going to have to clean. As the Izayoi, Jin, and the girls (including Leticia and Percher) finished, Rikimaro started to put away the leftovers and clean the dishes.

"What are you doing?" Black Rabbit asked when she saw him taking dishes back to the kitchen.

"Cleaning up?" he replied, stating it like it should have been obvious.

"No no no! We need to get going!" Black Rabbit said. Rikimaro gave a confused look to Black Rabbit and the others.

"Do I even want to know where were going?" He asked, setting the dishes down in the kitchen and walking back out. Izayoi simply pulled out his **[Fragment of Laplace]**.

"It's where you're going to get one of these." Izayoi said in a bored tone.

"ALRIGHT! LET'S DO THIS!" Rikimaro shouted and ran out the kitchen door, heading for his room. Right before he got there he looked down at the ground and panicked at what he saw. When he had walked to the kitchen that morning he had thought the floor was soft and carpeted. What he was seeing wasn't carpet, it was a hard wood floor.

He quickly calmed himself down, thinking it was simply just his mind playing tricks on him in the morning. Resuming his run to his room, he threw the door open. Siting on the chair was his socks, and on the floor in front of the chair was his shoes. He quickly put them on, grateful there wasn't any moisture in them, and ran back to the kitchen.

"We going or what?" He asked as everyone finally started to get up.

"You don't even know where you're going!" Asuka said, crossing her arms.

"Then let's get going so I can find out!" Rikimaro replied. Izayoi and You laughed while Asuka let out a sigh and stood up, following the group out the door.

"Why are you so excited Rikimaro?" Black Rabbit asked.

"Because I want to learn what my **[Gift] **is. I have no clue what it could be but I can't wait to find out!" he replied, practically bouncing with joy. The group simply looked at him with sweat beads on their foreheads, except for You.

"I also want to know what your **[Gift] **is." She said, a slight blush reaching her face. "It's strange that you don't know what it is."

"Feels more like an annoyance to me." Izayoi said. "If it happens to be a rare one, you're going to have to train for a while to get used to it, and if it's a common one it won't be as useful to us." Izayoi suddenly got wacked by a paper fan, being held by none other than Black Rabbit.

"Don't be rude Izayoi!" She yelled at him as they left the **[No Names]** mansion. "The only thing that's useless around here is your perversion!" Izayoi suddenly stopped at the gate.

"There are TWO types of people in the world!" He declared loudly, causing the group to look at him. "Open perverts that admit it! And closet perverts that won't!" He then pointed at Rikimaro. "Which are you?" Everyone looked at Rikimaro who had a serious face on.

With a small smile forming, Rikimaro said "OPEN!" and fist bumped Izayoi. The girls simply sighed and Jin looked embarrassed. "But!" Rikimaro added, gaining everyone's attention again, "I am respectful to women as well." The girls started to smile and get their hopes up.

"There's no point in being a pervert if women won't let you have any fun with them!" Rikimaro finished, bringing a small depression to the girls. Izayoi simply nodded his admiration and respect to Rikimaro's ideals.

"Well, then you're going to get along with Shiroyasha pretty well." Izayoi said.

"Who?" Rikimaro asked as they started walking again, the girls taking a large lead with Jin to keep their distance from the two perverts.

"You'll know her when you see her." Izayoi replied with his signature smirk on his face. The group kept walking and eventually the girls drifted back and joined Izayoi and Rikimaro. They started talking about a whole bunch of things on their walk to, in Rikimaro's opinion, who knows where.

The group had been walking for around 15 minutes now and Rikimaro still had no clue where exactly they were going. It was really starting to bug him how Izayoi wouldn't let anyone say anything about where they were going and who Shiroyasha was. He was about to demand an answer when all of a sudden, a door flew off its hinges and landed in the water. Rikimaro, too distracted by the door being sent flying, didn't notice the short figure sprinting towards the group until he heard it yell.

"BLACK RABBIT!" The figure yelled. It took a second for Rikimaro to realize that the person's yell wasn't an angry one, but one of affection. And that it was a girl. That sent a small shiver down his spine all the same. Suddenly, the girl jumped and stuffed her face right in Black Rabbits chest, rubbing her face back and forth while letting out sighs of pure happiness and bliss. Right up until Black Rabbit ripped her off and hit her with a paper fan. The small girl sat on the ground for a second, seemingly stunned by the hit to the head. During this time, Rikimaro was able to get a better look at the perverted loli.

She had white, shoulder-length hair with what looked like elf ears. On either side of her head there appeared to be 2 small, black horns. She was wearing a black kimono with blue trim and white frills coming from her sleeves and the bottom of her kimono, and had a pink sash around her waist. Wrapped around her sash in the back was what looked like a blue cape with a black trim, but it was rectangular and went from the sash down past her feet. What made the outfit really stand out was her physical appearance. She was very childlike, small in stature and yet she carried herself like an adult despite the display of perversion. There was no doubt in Rikimaro's mind as to who this person was.

"So, you're Shiroyasha I assume." He asked the perverted loli. She shook her head and looked up at Rikimaro, who was extending a hand to help her up. Smiling, she took his hand and stood up.

"My my, who might you be?" She asked with a childlike voice. "Could you be the new member of the **[No Names]**?"

"I'll feel obligated to answer after you tell me whether I'm right or not." He replied, keeping his voice calm and kind so he didn't sound offending. To his surprise, she laughed.

"Ahh, yes. You are correct. My name is Shiroyasha, the manager of this branch of **[Thousand Eyes]**. It's a pleasure to meet you…?" she said while bowing, looking up at the end of the sentence.

"Rikimaro." He said, returning the bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Izayoi here tells me that you and I are going to get along quite well."

"Oh really?" She asked, looking to Izayoi who gave a thumbs up back to her.

"He also said, just a few minutes ago, to mention I can make Black Rabbit do anything from a gift game. Don't know why…" he started to say before Shiroyasha was right in his face, her eyes turned into stars.

"NAME ANYTHING YOU WANT AND ILL TRADE IT TO YOU FOR THAT!" she yelled. Immediately, Rikimaro understood why Izayoi told him to say that to her. He laughed a little.

"Well, before we trade anything, they brought me here for a couple of reasons I assume, so let's get those out of the way first." Rikimaro told her, gently pushing her back as her eyes returned to normal. Black Rabbit had all but fainted by now, and Asuka and You were both standing there with blank faces. Izayoi had a grin on his face, then joined in the conversation.

"Yeah, we were hoping you could tell us what his **[Gift]** is. He has no clue what it could be. Also I'll be paying for this, since I have two instances of Black Rabbit doing what I want." Izayoi said, much to Black Rabbits shock at him paying for someone else, and horror at realizing that three perverts can make her do anything. Shiroyasha was in utter glee and was bouncing around like a kid who was getting their first puppy. After a good five minutes, she calmed down.

"Alright, let's head inside then." She said, leading the group inside to a large, luxurious waiting room. Inside was a blue haired girl with a plain white kimono on. She was sweeping and looked up when the group came in. giving a slight smile, she waved at everyone but no one waved back. Noticing this, Rikimaro stopped, smiled at her, and waived. She smiled more, then nodded her head at the group, who were still going despite Rikimaro stopping. He quickly caught up just before the entered a smaller room. It had several floor cushions and a wooden table, but not much else. The door leading outside from the room remained open, giving a nice view of a small garden.

"So," Rikimaro said while siting down "how are we going to find out what my **[Gift]** is?"

"Well, the best way is with a duel." Asuka chipped in. "A life or death situation tends to quickly bring out latent potential and unknown abilities."

"That's true, but without any idea what the nature of his powers are, we could very well kill him. Id rather not have him be my first death during a trade as a senior member of **[Thousand Eyes]**." Shiroyasha said.

"Remind me to ask what **[Thousand Eyes]** is later." Rikimaro whispered to Izayoi, who simply nodded.

"Rikimaro." Shiroyasha said, getting his attention. "Typically, a **[Gift]** works well with the owner's personal preferences. Things like Asuka's **[Oraculum]** matching her like of being in charge of things and **[Dean]** with her desire to help in a fight. So what are your preferences?" Rikimaro sat and though about this for quite some time, not wanting to give an answer that could get him killed.

"Darkness." He said suddenly, gaining the attention of everyone. Realizing they probably took that the wrong way, he quickly clarified. "By that I mean I like being in dark places. Not having the lights on. I also tend to stay up late and have always had amazing night vision."

"Well, that could explain how you got ahead of us when Izayoi threw that tree in the tunnel." You commented. Asuka and Jin quickly agreed.

"Well, then let's find out if that's right!" Shiroyasha declared as she pulled out a blue **[Fragment of Laplace]**. It let off a small blue glow and the room around them broke into pieces. The pieces then flipped and returned, showing them in a dark corridor made out of stone bricks. There were occasional torches on the wall down the corridor, providing plenty of shadows for Rikimaro to try and learn his **[Gift]**.

"What just happened?" Rikimaro asked, his eyes darting around in suspicion and confusion.

"I used my gift, **[Game Board]**. It brought us to one of many game boards that I own." Shiroyasha replied. "Now, I'm going to have Izayoi and Black Rabbit fight you. You need to discover what your **[Gift]** is, and how to use it, before its name will show up on a **[Fragment of Laplace]**. Here's hoping you live!" she said before pushing Rikimaro to the ground. Seconds later, Shiroyasha, Asuka, Jin, and You all floated up and disappeared. Izayoi and Black Rabbit were nowhere to be found.

"Ugh. Great. I get to fight Izayoi in my first match ever. Just my luck." Rikimaro said to himself. He then walked over to a nearby torch that was on the wall and took it out of its holder, tossing it to the ground and stomping out the flames. Grateful for the sudden darkness, and for not lighting himself on fire, he closed his eyes and concentrated. He quickly felt a strange feeling in his feet and ears and focused on those areas. Opening his eyes, he started to walk down the corridor.

Suddenly he heard something and stopped. It sounded like footsteps and what was worse, they sounded close. Rikimaro quickly started sprinting, running from shadow to shadow in the dimly lit corridor. Pausing for a breath, he stood in a shadow and waited. During his wait, he thought the corridor was getting taller. Looking down, he quickly found out that wasn't true.

He was sinking into the shadows. Knowing not to fear this strange new sensation, he willed himself to try and make it more intense. In doing so, he completely disappeared into the shadows. Not a second later, Izayoi and Black Rabbit came bursting around a corner and ran strait past where Rikimaro had hid himself. Knowing he had to use shadows, or was trying to at least, Black Rabbit and Izayoi were checking the shadows as much as they could as they ran. After a minute, they couldn't be seen and Rikimaro slowly raised up from the shadow he had hid in.

"Ok, that was really weird, but really awesome!" he said in a low voice, but was full of excitement. "I wonder if…" he started to say before he submerged back into the shadows and emerged in a shadow up ahead of himself. "Alright! Can't believe that worked!"

"Interesting." Came a male voice from behind him. Spinning around, Rikimaro saw Izayoi and Black Rabbit, grinning in a way that unsettled him. "So it seems you know how to use your powers a bit now. Good. Makes me feel less bad about fighting you now." Izayoi's grin turned into an evil smile and he charged forward.

Rikimaro quickly dropped to the ground and let the shadows cover him, right before Izayoi hit the ground. The impact sent dust and stone flying. The dust quickly settled, revealing only Izayoi. Rikimaro popped up a good distance down the hall, emerging from a shadow.

"Gota be quicker than that!" He yelled to them before running towards the two. Surprised, Izayoi stood there while Black Rabbit ran at Rikimaro. She quickly grabbed a torch and threw it to remove a shadow between the two of them, but Rikimaro got to it first and vanished inside of it right as the torch landed. He quickly popped up behind Black Rabbit and swept her feet out from under her before vanishing again, popping in and out of the shadows heading further down the hall to get away.

"Well he seems to be doing well." Asuka said as she, You and Shiroyasha all watched the screen of a TV back in the small room they had been in. Jin had to leave when a message arrived form Lily about something going on at the mansion.

"I'm surprised at how quickly he is adapting to this." You commented.

"At what, his **[Gift]**?" Shiroyasha asked. "It's not uncommon for people to learn a new **[Gift]** quickly."

"Well, there that, but I really meant how quickly he adapted to being here and everything that's happened." You replied.

"Well we adapted quickly too, remember?" Asuka added in.

"Yes, but we knew how to use our gifts when we arrived. Rikimaro thought he was normal before he arrived, and even after he thought that a bit. We also didn't have our first game until a couple days later. He has his first one on his first full day." You said.

"Sounds like more than just concern…" Shiroyasha said with a sly grin, causing You to blush.

"It's not like that. I'm just worried about my friend." She said, keeping her voice from flustering.

"Hey, both of you, look at this!" Asuka said as she pointed to the screen.

Rikimaro had successfully gotten away from Izayoi and Black Rabbit and was now in a large, dome like room with a hole in the roof, causing light to spill in the center. The edges of the room had heavy shadows that Rikimaro planned to use, but first he wanted to test something. Extending his hand on the edge of a shadow, he slowly closed it into a fist. As he did so, the shadows themselves rose up and formed a sword in his hand as it closed around the handle.

"Ohhhh, this is nice." Rikimaro said as he gave the sword a few swings. Despite it being a shadow, the sword had the right weight to have a good amount of force behind it, and its edge was beyond razor sharp. Letting go of the sword, the shadows returned to where they were.

Suddenly his ears perked up and he heard footsteps again. Smiling, he walked to the center of the room, right in the light, and stood there, awaiting his two opponents.

"Well his [Gift] is certainly interesting." Izayoi said to Black Rabbit as the two of them ran down a corridor. "I wonder what else he is capable of."

"You seem to be really enjoying yourself." Black Rabbit commented. "Its nice to see you like this. Just remember not to actually hurt him. Shiroyasha just wanted us to act like we are out to fight him."

"I know, but it feels like he is capable of a lot more. I haven't had this much fun since the Pied Piper incident." The two turned a corner and came upon the dome room where Rikimaro was. "And there he is. The man of the hour!"

"Well it's nice of you to say that. And I'm glad you're having fun. It sounds like you haven't had much for a while. How long has it been since the Pied Piper incident?" Rikimaro asked, getting a surprised look from Black Rabbit. Izayoi just laughed a bit.

"Around two months. So tell me, how could you hear us? The echoes would have distorted the sound."

"No idea, but it's got to be part of my **[Gift]**."

"So shall we get this started?"

"After you. Oh wait, you can't move, can you?" Izayoi and Black Rabbit both looked down and tried to move, but found they couldn't. The shadows they had walked into had risen up and grabbed a hold of them both, preventing them from moving.

"AHHHH! WHAT IS THIS! GET IT OF BLACK RABBIT! GET IT OFF!" Black Rabbit yelled, frightened by the tingling sensation the shadows were having on her legs.

"Hmm, nice trick." Was all Izayoi said before face palming at Black Rabbit's desperate attempts to free herself. Rikimaro laughed as she reached down to try and rip the shadows off, only to have the shadows grab on to her wrists and trap her in a bent over position. Izayoi tried to get a peek, but instead cursed Shiroyasha for designing Black Rabbits dress.

"Well this has been fun, and I'm certainly glad I've learned how to use my **[Gift]**, but shall we wrap this up now?" Rikimaro said as he caused the shadow sword to appear in his hand, only to quickly drop it in pain. "What the heck was that?"

Right as Rikimaro started to look up from his hurt hand, Izayoi landed a hit on him, sending Rikimaro flying backwards. Instead of hearing a large crash, like what Izayoi was expecting to hear, there was silence. Suddenly, Izayoi was sent flying forward as Rikimaro had gone into the shadows and emerged behind him, flying strait into him.

Both of them in the shadows now, Rikimaro quickly got up and manifested the sword again. Happy to not be burned this time, he quickly swung it at Izayoi, who easily dodged and jumped back, landing in the light. Rikimaro changed the sword into a spear and threw it at Izayoi, who started do block it with his hand, but as the spear entered the light the shadows disappeared. Both of them looked stunned and stood there for a minute.

"So I can't use the shadows in the light. Makes sense now that I think about it. Also explains the burn marks on my hand from when I tried to make the sword in the light." Rikimaro said.

"Yeah but this is sunlight. What about the light from the torches?" Izayoi said pointing to the corridor he had come from. The same one where Black Rabbit was standing in out of fear of Rikimaro's shadows. Both of them looked at each other and grinned.

"Let's find out!" Rikimaro said as a two pronged trident appeared in his hand. He tossed it to Izayoi, who held it for a minute while being amazed at the feel of the shadow weapon. He snapped out of it when Rikimaro snapped his fingers in front of Izayoi's face. Grinning, Izayoi pulled back his arm, then threw the trident right at Black Rabbit who, naturally, freaked out but didn't do anything to stop it. The trident went around her waist and into the wall, trapping her against the wall.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO BLACK RABBIT? BLACK RABBIT HASN'T DONE ANYTHING TO YOU!" she yelled. Rikimaro and Izayoi both laughed.

"Alright you three. Play time is over." A voice said from above them. Rikimaro let the trident dissolve as he and Izayoi looked up at the ceiling to see Shiroyasha, You, and Asuka all descending from the hole in the roof. Black Rabbit ran over, eager to stay out of the shadows, and hit both Rikimaro and Izayoi with her paper fan.

"WHY DOES EVERYONE PICK ON BLACK RABBIT!" she cried out as she continued to hit the two boys. "EVEN THE NEW PROBLEM CHILD IS DOING IT AND HE PROMISED HE WOULDN'T!"

"Hey, calm down. We were just seeing what my **[Gift]** could do! That was the whole point of this right? And why Shiroyasha told you both to act like you were out to kill me." Rikimaro said. Black Rabbit looked at him, then proceeded to only hit Izayoi with the paper fan.

"I wouldn't do that Black Rabbit." Asuka said, causing Black Rabbit to stop mid swing. "Even though he is paying for this, he still has a reward over you and can make things very embarrassing for you." At hearing this, Black Rabbit started to sweat and looked at Izayoi, who had a huge, perverted grin on his face. Before she could yell in terror and start running, Rikimaro grabbed her and looked at Shiroyasha.

"Can we get out of here now? I'd rather the two of them run through the town and not get lost than stay here. Shiroyasha sighed and nodded. The room broke like it did earlier and changed back to the small room at **[Thousand Eyes]**. Immediately, Rikimaro let go of Black Rabbit, who sprinted out the door and hopped away, with Izayoi quickly chasing after her.

"There goes your payment…" You said as Asuka face palmed at Izayoi's actions. Shiroyasha just laughed and stepped outside quickly to cheer Izayoi on and to take pictures. Still laughing, she stepped back inside and sat down with everyone still there.

"So now you have at least some control over your [Gift] and knowledge of its weakness. Not bad at all for the first time you've used your powers. You even looked like you could have given Izayoi a run for his money." Shiroyasha said with a smile. She reached into her Kimono and pulled out a **[Fragment of Laplace]** and handed it to Rikimaro. "This is yours as per me and Izayoi's deal. And let him know that if he takes pictures of whatever happens to Black Rabbit, I'll take those as payment instead."

"Will do." Rikimaro said as the girls started to stand up. "If you two don't mind, I'm going to ask the perverted loli a few questions, then maybe shop a bit. What to meet up somewhere?"

"Sure. There's a Café not too far from here. We'll sit outside so you can find us." Asuka said as her and You walked out with a laugh.

"Hmm, you have some questions for me?" Shiroyasha asked, seemingly unoffended at being called a perverted loli.

"Yeah, just general questions really. I didn't want to ask them since they have already done so much for me." Rikimaro answered, getting a smile out of Shiroyasha.

"Alright. I thought you were going to make a deal with me for something in trade for your order over Black Rabbit." She asked

"Now, why would I do that when I don't have any idea of value here in this world? I think I'll hold on to it for now, but you or Izayoi are defiantly the two I will seek out when I intend to get rid of it." Rikimaro said with a twinkle in his eye.

"I'm finding myself constantly surprised by you. You say you never used your **[Gift]** before, yet you quickly adapted to it and this style of life. You act perverted at times, yet are respectful and intelligent. Anyway, we digress. What can the strongest **[Floor Master]**, the **[Demon Lord of the White Night]** and manager of the eastern branch of **[Thousand Eyes]** do for you?" She asked

"Wait, you're a **[Demon Lord]**? I thought the **[No Names]** were out to fight all the **[Demon Lords]**?" He asked

"Mhm, yes I am a **[Demon Lord]**, however the **[No Names]** are only out to challenge **[Demon Lords]** who use their powers for evil and personal gain. More specifically those who attacked them and took their name and flag. I wish to help them, so I shall." She said calmly.

"Ahh, alright then. So what is **[Thousand Eyes]**? I'm guessing it's a community?" he said

"Yes. **[Thousand Eyes]** is a large community that specializes in trading. We have contracts with most communities, and those we don't have direct contracts with, we have either indirect trade agreements or mutual understandings. Many of our members are exceptionally strong and, as is the case with me, some are **[Demon Lords]**." She replied

"So you're just a trading organization?" he questioned

"Not just trading. Every community gets challenges and invites to **[Gift Games]**. But we tend to host more than we participate." She retorted.

"And what's this about **[Floor Masters]**." He asked. Shiroyasha let out a sigh.

"You and your questions. You're lucky you're with the **[No Names]** and are new here, otherwise you would be charged for all of this. Anyway **[Floor Masters]** are individuals who hold large amounts of power. They are typically from higher gate communities and chose to come down to manage the lower gate communities. This is to prevent any higher gate community's form whipping out lower gate communities. The system isn't perfect, the case and point being the **[No Names]**, but for the most part it works." She said with a long sigh. It was clear she was getting bored of these questions, so Rikimaro figured it was time for him to leave.

"Well, thank you so much Shiroyasha. You have been a great help to me." He said and started to get up before being pushed back down.

"Not so fast. I've decided I am going to charge you for that information, since you've piqued my curiosity." She said with a wicked smile. "Don't worry, its nothing big. I just want to know the name of your **[Gift]**."

"Fair enough." Rikimaro said with a smile. He pulled out his **[Fragment of Laplace]** and read off the only **[Gift]** that was on it. "Apparently it's called **[Shadow of the Night]**. Mean anything to you?"

"If you wait a second we can find out." She said before walking out and talking to her assistant. She came back a minute later with a mixed look on her face.

"Well you don't look to happy…" he said as she sat back down. She laid a folder on the table and slid it across for him to read.

"Apparently there has only been one other with that **[Gift]**. A **[Demon lord]** who resides in the top gate. He's also been one of the main suspects for the incident with the **[No Names]** but no one can say for sure if he is or isn't. Anyway, he released the information on that gift after he lost a **[Gift Game]** a while ago. It turns out you can transport anywhere you have been or within eyesight as long as there's a shadow. You also can control the shadows to create things, but it burns you in the sunlight. Artificial light has a much more limited effect. On top of that, you can gain the traits of any nocturnal animal at will." She explained.

"Well that explains why I could hear Black Rabbit and Izayoi talking in the game. What's this guy's name?" He asked

"Vlad Rentoya." She said calmly.

"Rentoya?" He asked, immediately interested.

"Yeah, why?" she asked.

"Because that's my last name!" he replied. Shiroyasha's eyes opened in shocked upon hearing that.

"While that's shocking, it shouldn't be surprising. Many **[Gifts]** run through bloodlines. There are many cases where individuals are bestowed **[Gifts]**, but it's also common for decedents of **[Gift]** users to have the same, or similar **[Gift]**. You must be one of his decedents." She explained. Rikimaro, while glad to know more about his gift, was slightly upset that one of his ancestors was a potential suspect for almost whipping out his friends community.

"Well, I thank you for this information. It's defiantly been revealing, for both of us I'm guessing." Rikimaro said as Shiroyasha nodded her head in agreement. "Now, I believe I have an arrangement with two young girls, so I'll get out of your hair."

"Hehe, so which do you like?" she asked, her perverted smile returning.

"What do you mean?" He replied.

"Oh come now boy, you can't be that naive, can you?" she said, but Rikimaro simply gave a blank stare. "Never mind. Can't help but feel sorry for those girls." She muttered under her breath. Rikimaro didn't catch it, so he waved good bye to her and the blue haired assistant then left.


End file.
